Always and Forever
by Whizzbee
Summary: Oneshot. Mentions things connected to HBP.As her two best friends prepare for their wedding day, Hermione remembers the happiest and saddest moments of her own life, including the fateful final battle where she lost her heart.


One-shot. **Mentions things connected to HBP.**

_As Harry and Ginny, her two best friends, prepare for their wedding day; Hermione remembers the happiest and saddest moments of her life, including the fateful final battle where she lost her heart._

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything, I just borrow the characters.

A/N : _A solid line indicates a change of time period from past to present or vice-versa; while a dashed line shows a slight change of time or focus. Please review, good or bad. Hope you like it!_

Always and Forever

"Hermione, wake up! Hermione!" Groggily, Hermione Granger opened her eyes and as they focused she saw her best friend Ginny Weasley sitting on the end of the bed, a huge smile on her face.

"You can't sleep in today, there's too much to do – my hair, makeup, your hair, the flowers, my veil…."

Hermione couldn't help laughing. "Calm down, Gin, we've got plenty of time, plus Fleur and Angelina are helping too. You're meant to be enjoying today, not panicking the whole time! I'm getting up now though!" she protested as Ginny threw a pillow at her.

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Half an hour later the preparations were in full swing. Fleur was doing Ginny's hair and Angelina her nails while Mrs. Weasley sorted the flowers.

Hermione found herself alone in the bedroom. She noticed a familiar photo album lying on Ginny's bed. Unable to control her curiosity, she opened it. As she flicked through, memories, both good and bad, came flooding back. Stopping on a picture of herself and Ron, her thoughts turned back to the summer before their seventh year.

five years ago

Bill and Fleur's wedding was an elaborate affair. Fleur and her mother had insisted on grandeur – ice sculptures, fairies, exotic food and flowers and a full orchestra! The back garden of the Burrow was almost unrecognisable after they'd finished decorating.

The ceremony was short and romantic, and once it was over everyone headed into the marquee for food, drinks and dancing.

Although Harry and Ginny were no longer a couple, they were still extremely close, and she gladly accepted his invitation to dance. This left Ron and Hermione alone at their table.

"Hermione," Ron said.

"Yes?"

"You're still planning on going with Harry instead of back to school, aren't you?"

"Yes, I meant what I said – I had time to turn back, I'm not going to now. Are you having second thoughts?" She looked straight into his eyes, her voice full of concern.

"No, it's just…" he trailed off, struggling to speak. "I'm scared, Hermione," he said. "What if…..what if we never come back?"

"I know, don't think I haven't thought of that, and it really scares me too, a lot more than you probably think. It's just that Harry's our best friend, and it's not his fault he has to be the one to defeat Voldemort. I think the least I can do is help – he's saved my neck a few times and loads of other people too. I know the risks but I'm willing to do it, especially if there's a chance some good might come out of it."

Ron sat dumbstruck for a while.

"That was powerful," he finally said.

"It's what I told my parents to persuade them I was doing the right thing. I do believe everything I said there," Hermione answered.

"I know, I believe it too, and you're right, we've got to go with him."

They sat quietly for a while, half watching Fred and Angelina's exuberant dancing, but with their minds clearly somewhere else.

"There's one more thing." Ron said a few minutes later.

"What?"

"I know there's a possibility I'll be killed, and I don't want to have any regrets if I am. So, Hermione, I need to tell you how I feel."

Hermione turned sharply to face him fully.

"And how do you feel?" she asked.

"Hermione, I love you. I've loved you for five years but I've never had the courage to tell you until-"He was stopped in mid-sentence as Hermione kissed him passionately.

"I feel the same way Ron," she gasped; she felt her heart pound, she felt different somehow – maybe it was realising that what she'd felt for five years wasn't going to be wasted.

"I'm glad," he replied, although he still looked extremely shocked; and then he kissed her back.

Hermione smiled to herself and turned the page. In all the photos after this you could tell her and Ron were a couple, there was just something different about the way they acted around each other. He asked her out after they kissed at the wedding, and she said yes immediately. The next photo was one of her and Ron with Harry and Ginny, all of them smiling. This was another time she remembered well…

four years ago

Godric's Hollow was a quiet village. The events of Halloween night seventeen years ago were long forgotten as many of the people who were there that night had moved away.

The ruins of the Potters' house had been replaced with a small modern building. This was where Harry, Ron and Hermione had spent much of the last year as they tried to piece together the puzzle of the Horcruxes.

It was a normal July night, clear and quite warm. Ron had invited Ginny over for the evening and the four friends were sitting chatting in the garden. Hermione, however, sensed that the other three knew something she didn't.

Ron had been unusually quiet all evening, but finally he spoke.

"Hermione," he said. "Do you remember the conversation we had at Bill's wedding?"

Hermione was puzzled. "Yes, but what's that got to do with anything we've been talking about? Why are you bringing it up now?"

"You remember then that I said I'd regret not asking you out?"

"Yes."

"Well that would not be my only regret."

"Oh."

Ron got up and walked around the table to face Hermione. He knelt down and gently cupped his hand under her face. He looked nervous, and it took a while for him to compose himself before he explained:

"The other would be not showing you how much you mean to me, how much I love you and how much I need you," he said softly as he produced a small box. "Will you marry me?"

Hermione was in total shock. She had definitely not been expecting this, even though she knew something was different about the other three. She guessed Harry and Ginny had known all along what Ron was planning to do and it was only her who had been kept in the dark. Tears fell down her cheeks and her heart leapt with excitement as she immediately murmured, "Yes!" This was what she wanted, what was only her wildest dream even just a year ago. Now it was reality.

Ron opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver band set with six square diamonds around a glistening sapphire.

"One diamond for each year I've loved you," he told her, and Hermione realised the lengths he must have gone to to find that ring. "And that's your birthstone in the middle." He slid it gently onto her finger and they kissed with somehow more passion and feeling than they'd ever done before as Harry and Ginny clapped and cheered.

"I thought having them here would make it even more special," Ron said. "I wanted to surprise them too but Ginny refused to come unless I told her what was going on."

"It did make it more special. It was absolutely perfect." Hermione replied, kissing him again.

Hermione got up from the bed and went to her dressing table. She opened her jewellery box and took out the ring. She could feel her heart pounding and tears welling up behind her eyes as she remembered what came next. She didn't want to think about it, but she had to – she couldn't hide away from it for ever.

It was that same night and Ron had called everyone over from the Burrow to celebrate. Order members, Hogwarts teachers and former class members also arrived to congratulate the happy couple.

"Good news spreads fast!" Ron joked as he greeted Lupin and Tonks, whose hair was still bright pink.

"We can't say it was unexpected though." Tonks replied. "Although I personally didn't think it would be so soon!"

"Well who knows what's going to happen." Ron answered. "I thought I'd better ask her before I missed my chance, and I'm glad I did."

Hermione smiled, having caught the last of Ron's sentence as she came to talk to Lupin.

"Can I have a word?" she asked him.

"Of course Hermione, what is it?"

"We've found all the Horcruxes, so I think Harry feels he'll have to fight Voldemort soon." She said. "I just thought you out of everyone here had a right to know that; you're so close to him; and I wasn't sure if he'd tell you himself."

"Thanks Hermione. Let's just hope Voldemort doesn't realise they're all gone before Harry and the rest of us are ready to fight."

Harry, having overheard what Hermione said, joined the conversation.

"I think he might know; he's hardly going to forget about those things, he's bound to have some sort of warning system."

"Oh, Harry! I hope you didn't think I was going behind your back or anything….."

"No, it's alright; I was going to tell Remus and Tonks anyway."

"I think you're right Harry," Lupin said. "We need to be prepared at all times from now on."

Harry and Hermione both nodded in agreement, and Hermione went to inform Ron and Tonks, while Lupin found other Order members.

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The party was in full swing and the garden was full of people. Suddenly there were several deathly screams.

Lavender nudged Hermione and pointed, horrified, at the sky. There, high above, was a mass of people on broomsticks, clumped together and surrounded by an eerie mixture of wand and moon light.

People began to panic as they realised who the black-cloaked figures were.

Some of the Hogwarts students hurried inside, including Ginny, who was Stunned by Harry when she refused to go, plus Percy, his wife Penelope and their young son.

"This is too soon, we're not ready!" Hermione thought as she pushed through the panicking crowd to find Harry and Ron.

It took a while for them to be able to speak; they were all inwardly cursing the ease at which the Death Eaters had come up with a way to overcome Anti-Apparition jinxes, and their own carelessness at holding such a huge gathering here, where everyone was vulnerable.

Harry was the first to speak. "You know what I've got to do. Don't get yourselves into any more danger than you can help – you don't have to be involved."

Hermione replied indignantly. "We chose to fight beside you Harry, and that's what we're going to do." Calming down, she added, "Just be careful Harry, good luck."

She hugged him tightly before turning to Ron.

"I love you." She said to him. "Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

"I know, but that can't stop me worrying." He smiled slightly and kissed her. "I love you too."

Meanwhile, Lupin had found Harry.

"I know you can't defeat Voldemort with your own wand Harry, so I want you to use this." He said, handing him a rather short stick of willow. "It was your mother's. I found it in Grimmauld Place, Sirius must have wanted to give you it at some stage."

Harry couldn't speak; he simply hugged his former teacher and rejoined his best friends.

The Death Eaters began to land, already shooting hexes at the crowd. It was hard to see who was where and who was on which side as the night closed in, until the garden rapidly illuminated. Professor Flitwick had created some sort of magical light above the house.

The fighting was fast and furious. While Harry and Voldemort sent curses raining upon each other at one end of the garden; at the other Hermione was fighting Dolohov, the Death Eater who had injured her in the Department of Mysteries. After ten exhausting minutes she finally Stunned and bound him, and turned her attention to none other than Draco Malfoy, who had just hit Katie Bell.

He was much more of a challenge for Hermione who was forced to hide behind the trees to avoid his Killing Curses.

At the same time, Harry was still fighting Voldemort. He found Lily's wand surprisingly easy to use and was able to conjure powerful shields with it.

The appearance of Severus Snape added an extra hurdle, and as Harry was determined to avenge Dumbledore's death, Lupin took over and kept Voldemort occupied for a while.

"I'll make sure you're with your stupid Mudblood mother soon Potter." Snape spat.

"Well how you feel if you were killed using her wand?" Harry retorted. "Avada Kedavra!"

He was too quick and Snape fell.

When he heard the Killing Curse behind him, Lupin automatically turned around slightly to see who had been hit. He wasn't ready for Voldemort's next curse and he was hit in the chest. The look of shock was still on his face as he fell.

Both Harry and Tonks screamed in shock and anger and both ran to duel Voldemort. Harry tried to make Tonks leave but she wouldn't budge. They fought side by side, retaliating after what had just happened.

With Harry fighting Voldemort and Hermione duelling Malfoy, this left Bellatrix Lestrange to Ron. After taking out Crabbe and Goyle single-handedly, he saw a jet of red light from Bella's wand knock down Fred, Angelina and George in quick succession. He swung round, full of anger and ready to take her on.

The pivotal moment of the battle came. Hermione finally disarmed and Stunned Draco, Bill finished off the elder Malfoy and Kingsley Shacklebolt got the better of Rodolphus Lestrange. The Death Eaters were now outnumbered, but Voldemort himself was still alive.

Tonks sent a Killing Curse at Voldemort, who dodged it. Harry made the most of him being off balance and sent down a little-known curse "Solestra Finitum!" The blue light hit Voldemort in the heart before he could move an inch and in a flash his body and soul disintegrated.

"What was that?" Tonks called.

"The Soul Destroyer Curse." Harry replied. "You know about the Horcruxes, right?" She nodded. "Well, seeing as there was so little of his soul left in his body, that curse was able to destroy it – it only works on part of the soul though, so it'll only kill someone who has made Horcruxes. Hermione found it in one of the books Sirius had."

At that exact moment, Bellatrix sent a fast curse at Ron which he couldn't avoid. He hit the ground as the last of Voldemort exploded.

Realising their best friend was dead, both Harry and Hermione sent fierce curses at Bella in retaliation. Both hit her.

Hermione then collapsed on the ground, crying. She had never felt such loss or pain. It felt like her heart had been ripped from her. She wished she had been killed instead. Soon she found Harry beside her, both of them numb with shock, anger and disbelief. As soon as Ginny realised what had happened, she ran out to console them, even though she was grieving herself, but nothing she said that day made any difference to Hermione, who was still in total shock.

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Altogether the 'good side' lost seven people in that fateful final battle – Ron, Lupin, Katie Bell, Dean Thomas, Hestia Jones, Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott. The Death Eaters were practically wiped out, the few who survived confined to a life under permanent guard in Azkaban.

Voldemort was gone, but there was no celebration – in the process of his demise the wizarding world had lost many of its brightest young people and some of the greatest wizards and witches of the age.

Harry found some comfort in Ginny, and she found comfort in him. But for Hermione there was no consolation. By day she would sit silent, hardly eating or speaking; and by night she would cry herself to sleep, missing Ron so badly. His funeral was the hardest day of her life. Neither she nor Harry felt able to speak, so instead Bill told the congregation about Ron's passion for Quidditch and his love for his fiancée. Hermione broke down again during the service.

That night, Hermione removed her engagement ring and put it away. She knew however much she wanted to, that she couldn't wear it any more, although she took it out every night and slipped it on her finger, a constant reminder of her loss and grief.

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The days, weeks, months and years passed. Hermione gratefully accepted the Weasleys' offer of a permanent place to stay and threw herself into work, joining the Ministry. Each anniversary was hard, but somehow she got through them, and over time they seemed to get a bit easier. The pain never went away, but she learned to cope with it, although she never told anyone how she felt.

It was a bittersweet moment for her when Harry and Ginny got engaged; although she was genuinely happy for them, she remembered her own engagement and wondered what her wedding would have been like.

Ginny walked into the room to find Hermione crying softly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"These brought it all back." Hermione replied, indicating the photos. "All the memories of that day – that one was taken the night he died."

"I know." Ginny said. "This is the first time you've ever talked about this, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded.

"You've been keeping all your grief bottled up for the past four years; it had to come out some time." Ginny hugged her friend tightly. "Now you've released it, maybe you can begin to move on. I know you'll always love Ron, but he wouldn't want you to be miserable, would he?

"I guess you're right." Hermione said slowly, and she knew deep down inside it was true. Part of her heart would belong to Ron forever, but maybe one day she could find happiness again.

"Come and get ready then – there may be a few new people you could meet at the reception, if you get my drift!" Ginny smiled and winked.

Hermione giggled slightly. "I'll be there in a minute, there's just one thing I want to do first."

"Ok, but be quick, there's still a lot to do!" Ginny left the room.

She looked at the picture of Ron one more time; put the ring on her finger and Disapparated.

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A couple of seconds later she appeared at Ron's grave. She bent down, slipped the ring off her finger for the last time and left it nestled hidden among the flowers.

"I'll always love you Ron, but Ginny's right, it's time for me to let go and move on."

With that, she returned home to the beginning of the next chapter of life - both for herself, and for Harry and Ginny.

(3112 words)


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